Background and HypothesisVisual hallucinations (VH) are a core symptom of both Lewy body diseases (LBDs; e.g., Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies) and serotonergic psychedelics (SPs; e.g., psilocybin and mescaline). While these classes of VH differ in etiology, shared pathways are suggested by overlapping phenomenology and neural mechanisms. T...
Psilocybin is a hallucinogen with complex neurobiological and behavioral effects. This is the first study to use MRI to follow functional changes in brain activity in response to different doses of psilocybin in fully awake, drug naive rats. Female and male rats were given IP injections of vehicle or psilocybin in doses of 0.03 mg/kg, 0.3 mg/kg, and 3.0 mg/k...
Treating amotivated states remains difficult. Classical psychedelic drugs (5-HT2A receptor agonists) such as LSD and psilocybin have shown therapeutic potential in treating such symptoms, but their development has been hindered by their undesirable hallucinogenic effects. There is increasing evidence that administration of psychedelics at dose levels too low...
Integrating advanced pharmaceutical innovations and artificial intelligence (AI) offers transformative potential for psychiatric care. This Patent Highlight reviews novel therapeutic strategies, including the synergistic use of monoamine antidepressants and short-duration psychedelics, alongside AI-driven behavioral efficacy tracking. The combination of sele...
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is surging interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelic compounds like psilocybin in the treatment of psychiatric illnesses like major depressive disorder (MDD). Recent studies point to the rapid antidepressant effect of psilocybin; however, the biological mechanisms underlying these differences remain unknown. ...
Psilocybin, a psychedelic compound in “magic” mushrooms, has promise as a novel treatment for psychiatric disorders, many of which are more prevalent in females and have onsets during adolescence. However, there is a lack of research about how factors such as sex and age affect responses to psilocybin, as well as potential safety concerns with developmental ...
Despite enormous interest in psychedelics for psychiatric interventions, potential underlying biological mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we confirm that a single dose of psilocybin increases synaptic transmission in mouse medial prefrontal cortex. Using scRNA-sequencing, we identify cell-type specific mechanisms of sustained neuroplastic effects. We show th...
Psilocybin represents a novel therapeutic approach for individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) who do not respond to conventional antidepressant treatment. Investigating the influence of psilocybin on the pathophysiological processes involved in MDD could enhance our neurobiological understanding of the presumed antidepressant action mechanism. This...
ABSTRACT Psychedelics have reemerged as potential treatments for mental health disorders, yet their impact on stress-related brain regions remains poorly understood. Here, we provide the first real-time, in vivo evidence of psilocybin-induced neuronal activation, specifically in hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons. Notably, psilocybin elicit...
In the rapidly growing field of psychedelic research, psilocybin (and active metabolite psilocin) has been proposed as a promising candidate in the search for novel treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders. Clinical trials have revealed that psilocybin has a large, rapid, and persistent effect in the improvement of symptoms of depression and anxiety. The sa...
ABSTRACT There is growing interest to investigate classic psychedelics and ketamine as therapeutics for mental illnesses. Previous studies have demonstrated that one dose of psilocybin or ketamine leads to persisting neural and behavioral changes. The durability of these effects suggests that there are likely alterations in gene expression at the transcripti...
Over a decade after the first edition of "Behavioral Neurobiology of Alcohol Addiction," this chapter revisits the field at a critical juncture, marked by both persistent challenges and emerging opportunities. We reflect on the translational gap that has stalled the development of new treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD), despite decades of promising pr...
There is renewed interest in psychedelics, such as psilocybin, as therapies for multiple difficult-to-treat psychiatric disorders. Even though psychedelics can induce highly pleasant or aversive experiences, depending on multiple personal and environmental factors, there is little research into how such experiences impact post-acute mood-altering actions. He...
Psilocybin is a psychedelic tryptamine that has emerged as a potential candidate for the treatment of a variety of conditions, including treatment resistant depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Clinical trials which have assessed the efficacy of psilocybin for these conditions report a rapid and sustained improvement in patient- and clinician-rated...
SUMMARY We quantify cellular- and circuit-resolution neural network dynamics following therapeutically relevant doses of the psychedelic psilocybin. Using chronically implanted Neuropixels probes, we recorded local field potentials (LFP) alongside action potentials from hundreds of neurons spanning infralimbic, prelimbic and cingulate subregions of the media...
BackgroundPeripheral levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are often used as a biomarker for the rapid plasticity-promoting effects of ketamine, psychedelics, and other psychoplastogens in humans. However, studies analyzing peripheral BDNF after psychoplastogen exposure show mixed results. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to test whether the rapi...
The full therapeutic potential of serotonergic psychedelics (SP) in treating neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression and schizophrenia, is limited by possible adverse effects, including perceptual disturbances and psychosis, which require administration in controlled clinical environments. This study investigates the synergistic benefits of combining ...
